The present invention relates to a regenerative heating apparatus, and more specifically to a regenerative heating apparatus utilizing non-peak power supply for thermal storage.
Heating apparatuses have conventionally been provided which utilize relatively cheap non-peak power supply for thermal storage and use the stored heat for a daytime heating operation. One such heating apparatus is designed so that heat can be stored in bricks or other heat storaging materials utilizing non-peak power, and the heat stored in this manner can be extracted either by natural convection or forced convection using fans to heat a room.
In the prior art regenerative heating apparatuses, however, the regenerative material may be heated to 600.degree. to 700.degree. C., and radiation during the thermal storage causes high heat loss. Even when the heating operation is stopped in the daytime, the amount of heat radiated from the regenerative material, i.e., heat loss, is so great that a room to be heated will inevitably be warmed by heat equivalent to the heat loss. Thus, unlike ordinary electric heating apparatuses, the regenerative heating apparatuses require complicated heating operation control, and wastefully radiate the stored heat, lowering heating efficiency.